Turn on the tap now and you’ll have plenty of fresh water, but it wasn’t always that way. Water is what our bodies and our communities need to survive, thrive, and grow. Before 1995, Yucca Valley would face serious water shortages and at some points, Joshua Basin water would have to be brought into Yucca Valley. Reporter Cassidy Taylor picks up the story from here…
The lack of a stable water supply was a problem. Fire departments worried about inadequate water flow, developers wouldn’t invest in an area running out of water, and residents feared their property values dropping. As the future of the Morongo Basin looked unsure, it was time to act.
The Morongo Basin Pipeline took two years and 52.2 million dollars to complete and its evolution can be viewed as the single most significant man-made event to occur to the basin. The pipeline saw many roadblocks and went through more agencies and proposals than you can count.
It was January 12, 1995 when hundreds of watchers cheered as water from the California Aqueduct started flowing into the Morongo Basin. It took 65 years of planning and effort to happen but the determination of the people of the Morongo Basin secured steady growth and economic stability in the face of thirst and water shortages.
